Upwardly mobile Europeans go global, tap marketplaces

European online shoppers are increasingly mobile, global and marketplace-driven, according to UPS research, based on a comScore survey of more than 6,400 people in France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the UK.

Seven in ten bought items from retailers outside their home country, mainly because of better prices and the search for a specific brand or product. Top considerations when doing so include: payment security (75%); clearly stating the total cost of the order including duties and fees (72%); a clear returns policy (63%); stating all prices in the shopper’s native currency (63%); and the speed of delivery (62%).

96% purchased items on marketplaces. Of those, 67% cited better prices as a reason for choosing this option over retailers and 43% a broader selection of products within any given category. 43% of smartphone users, meanwhile, purchased from their device. Shoppers use their mobiles for a variety of other tasks, including to locate stores or store-related information (78%), track orders (78%), and compare prices among retailers (75%).

“The internet has made shopping truly global, enabling retailers to market and sell their products to customers worldwide. Our research shows that nearly three-quarters of European online shoppers buy from countries outside their own, so opportunity is rife for both small and large retailers looking to expand their businesses,” says Abhijit Saha, Vice President of Marketing, UPS Europe.